Wikipedia

Vincent Valentine

For the West Indies cricketer, seeVincent Valentine (cricketer).For the American football player, seeVincent Valentine (American football).

Vincent Valentine(ヴィンセント・ヴァレンタイン,Vinsento Varentain)is a character inSquare's (nowSquare Enix) 1997role-playing video gameFinal Fantasy VII.He is designed byTetsuya Nomura,and also appears in various titles from theCompilation of Final Fantasy VII,ametaseriesset in theFinal Fantasy VIIcontinuity. He is theprotagonistof the 2006third-person shooterDirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VIIand its mobile phone tie-inDirge of Cerberus: Lost Episode.Vincent is voiced in Japanese byShōgo Suzukiand in English bySteven BlumandMatthew Mercer.

Vincent Valentine
Final Fantasycharacter
Vincent Valentine artwork byTetsuya NomuraforFinal Fantasy VII.
First appearanceFinal Fantasy VII(1997)
Designed byTetsuya Nomura
Voiced by
In-universe information
WeaponFirearms

In the backstory toFinal Fantasy VII,Vincent is aTurkassigned to guard the scientistLucrecia Crescent,whom he falls in love with. After a series of scientific experiments involving thecellsof theextraterrestrial lifeformJenova,Crescent gives birth to the game's antagonist,Sephiroth,with Hojo being the father. Soon after, Vincent became a test subject to experiments performed byHojoafter he shot him. This resulted ingenetic modificationthat supplanted other forms within him and gave him superior strength, speed, and healing in addition to not aging. If the player unlocks Vincent, he will joinCloud Strife's group to stop Sephiroth and seek revenge on Hojo.

Due to time constraints, Vincent was originally not intended to be playable inFinal Fantasy VII,but was ultimately made an optional character. Despite his optional status and lack of concrete detail regarding his background, he proved to be popular with both fans and critics, and his history was expanded upon in other installments of theCompilation,primarilyFinal Fantasy VII: Advent ChildrenandDirge of Cerberus.

Concept and design

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Character designerTetsuya Nomuraexplained that Vincent's character shifted from that ofhorrorresearcher to detective, tochemist,and finally to the figure of a former Turk with a tragic past. DirectorYoshinori Kitasewas in charge of thecutscene,in which Vincent joined the party, while scenario writerKazushige Nojimawrote his backstory. Nojima struggled with writing Vincent's dialogue, as he very rarely speaks.[3]In the original script of the game, Vincent was introduced similarly but had a handsome and sarcastic personality. He would join Cloud's group after learning they were in pursuit of Hojo but was unaware of the results of the experimentation he was subjected to.[4]Additionally, he would be privy to information regarding Shinra's involvement with the creation of Sephiroth. He would explain to Cloud the story of Sephiroth's origins.[5]When the game was in development, Nomura and his staff considered removing Vincent andYuffie Kisaragisince they did not have enough time to work them into the story properly. As a result, Vincent and Yuffie ultimately became optional party members.[3]

Vincent's Japanese voice actor,Shōgo Suzuki,explained that he tries "to hold back as much emotion as possible when playing Vincent", noting that Vincent is "a bit of a loner" and "appears cold on the surface".[6]Nomura wanted Cloud and Vincent's voices to contrast with each other due to their similar personalities. He felt Vincent was older and more mature than Cloud, and as a result, he cast Suzuki, who has a very low voice.[7]In the English dub, Vincent was voiced bySteve Blum,as the casting staff wanted a man who portrays Vincent's brooding manner based on his dark past. Blum was overjoyed because he claims to be a fan of the originalFinal Fantasy VII,and stated that directors wanted him to portray Vincent as "dark and moody" since Vincent is a "tortured soul".[8]

Vincent's cape took many adjustments to perfect forAdvent Children,and his gun was transformed to reflect his new role as the protagonist forDirge of Cerberus.[9]

Vincent is a tall, lean man with long black hair and red eyes who wears a ragged red cloak andmantleover black underclothes, as well as a metallic, goldengauntleton his left forearm. Vincent's cloak covers the lower half of his face and is held closed by a series of buckles. His crimson cloak was added to symbolize the idea of him carrying a heavyweight connected to death.[10]While other characters were given simple costumes inAdvent Children,Vincent was given a more complex outfit. Nomura felt that changing his design to something complicated would "conflict with his personality", which is relatively straightforward. So he was given attire consisting of "various, complex parts".[6]His cloak was difficult to animate due to it beingorganic;the overall complexity of Vincent's design led to his scenes being "especially hard to create".[6]These scenes were constantly being adjusted so as "to convey [their] elusive nature of seemingly having shape, but not". These adjustments concluded six months before the film's completion.[6]

Vincent was chosen as the protagonist ofDirge of Cerberusdue to his strong connections to the setting ofFinal Fantasy VIIand the potential for expanding on his background.[9]Due to the staff's desire to makeDirgea shooter, Vincent was also chosen because of his weaponry, while his transformations into different monsters in the originalFinal Fantasy VIIwas something the staff wanted to work into the gameplay.[11]For the game, Nomura redesigned Vincent's gun in the same way that Cloud's Buster Sword was redesigned forAdvent Children,to demonstrate that he is the protagonist of the game.[9]The gun was named Cerberus(ケルベロス,Keruberosu)in reference to themonsterfromGreekandRoman mythology;the gun has three barrels, like how Cerberus has three heads.[9]

Appearances

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Final Fantasy VII

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In the game, Vincent is an optional party member. Players can unlock Vincent by the halfway point ofFinal Fantasy VII,whenCloud Strifeand his allies find him sleeping in a coffin in the basement ofShinraMansion in Nibelheim.[12]Cloud mentions his quest to stop the game's antagonist,Sephiroth,who Vincent recognizes as the son ofLucrecia Crescent.[13]Vincent joins the group after learning that they may eventually meet up withHojo,whom he has an unexplained vendetta against.[14]Later, Vincent finds Lucrecia inside a cave, and his backstory is partly revealed. Vincent was a member of theTurks,an elite group of Shinra agents. While serving as Lucrecia's bodyguard, he fell in love with her, but she ultimately decided to remain faithful to Hojo, who persuaded her to use her unborn baby in his experiments. When protesting the nature of these experiments, Vincent was shot by Hojo, who began to experiment on him. This resulted in him not aging and having the ability to transform into various monsters.[15]Vincent felt strong guilt over being unable to protect Lucrecia, leading to his separation.[16]Overcome by guilt, Lucrecia sealed herself away in aMakocrystal. Upon entering the cave in the game, Lucrecia is revived and asks Vincent if Sephiroth is still alive, but he lies and tells her that he is dead.[17]

Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

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InBefore Crisis,which is set six years prior toFinal Fantasy VII,Vincent is seen in his Turk attire conversing withVeld,the leader of the Turks, and helps him obtain someMaterianeeded for a mission.[15]In the filmAdvent Children,which is set two years afterFinal Fantasy VII,Vincent rescues Cloud fromKadaj and his gangand reveals to him Kadaj's intentions to merge with the remaining Jenova cells and resurrect Sephiroth. Vincent later helps Cloud and his allies defeat the summoned creature Bahamut SIN.[18]In theOn the Way to a Smilenovella "Case of Nanaki", which is set between the original game andAdvent Children,Vincent encounters his former comrade,Red XIII(Nanaki), who is fearful that he will soon be alone due to his lifespan being much longer than humans. Vincent explains to Red that he is immortal and promises to meet with him every year to prevent his loneliness.[19]

InDirge of Cerberus,which takes place one year afterAdvent Children,Vincent is seen working withReeve Tuestiand theWorld Regenesis Organizationto eliminate the organization Deepground,[20]who have targeted Vincent because he carries "Protomateria"(エンシェントマテリア,Enshentomateria)inside his body, with Lucrecia having implanted it in him after he was shot by Hojo. The purpose of the Protomateria was to enable Vincent to control the Chaos(カオス,Kaosu)gene, which Lucrecia injected him with to save his life.[21]The Protomateria is eventually ripped from his body by Rosso the Crimson, leading to Vincent being unable to control Chaos. Eventually, he confronts the Deepground leader,Weiss the Immaculate,who is possessed by the digitalized mind of Hojo. Hojo reveals that his plan is to awakenOmega WEAPON,who will absorb theLifestreamand leave the Planet, resulting in the death of all living things.[22]After Omega's awakening, the renegade Deepground member, Shelke, returns the Protomateria to Vincent, and he is once again able to control Chaos, using it to destroy both Hojo and Omega. The mobile gameDirge of Cerberus Lost Episodetakes place duringDirge of Cerberusand features Vincent as the protagonist.[23]

He appears inFinal Fantasy VII Rebirth.[24]

Other appearances

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Outside theFinal Fantasy VIIseries, Vincent appears in the fighting gameEhrgeizas anunlockablecharacter, with his Turk uniform as an alternate costume. Like the otherFinal Fantasy VIIcharacters in the game, Vincent does not serve a role in the main storyline.[25]Although he was meant to appear inKingdom Hearts,his design was instead used as the basis for Cloud's redesign.[26]Vincent's popularity has seen merchandise related to the character, including the release of action figures.[27][28]Vincent also appears inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateas a spirit.[29]

Reception

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Steve Blum was praised for his performance as Vincent.

The character has received mixed comments from video game publications. Magazines have also described him as one of the bestFinal Fantasycharacter.[30][31][32]InGameSpot's article "The History ofFinal Fantasy",Vincent was comically referred to as theFinal Fantasy VIIcharacter who female players found to be "the most alluring undead man they've ever met".[33]IGNhas praised for his "striking" character design, as well as the fact that "FFVII's3D enginemade his shapeshifting Limit Breaks some surprisingly scary stuff ".[30]He has been held as an example of the recurring character categories of "The Kickass Quiet Guy" by1UP[34]and "The Brooding Pretty Boy" byGamesRadar+.[35]DiehardgameFan said that Vincent's design is invoking of vampires but does not pass such standards that gaming vampires are famous for as he is instead called an undead or an experiment.[36]

There was also commentary about Vincent's appearances in his spin-off.GameSpotwriter Greg Mueller regarded Vincent as one of "the more interesting characters fromFinal Fantasy VII"and liked howDirge of Cerberuswas focused on him and explained his origins more clearly.[37]His character design and abilities have been praised byGameSpy's Justin Speer, who felt that with such traits he "capably steps into a leading role" ofDirge of Cerberus.[38]IGN's Jeremy Dunham had a similar opinion, noting that Vincent "is exposed pretty convincingly here".[39]Eurogamer's Rob Fahey criticized Vincent for not being familiar enough to players, even to those who played the originalFinal Fantasy VII,to warrant his role as protagonist inDirge of Cerberus.However, Fahey still recognized him as a very popular character, commenting that he is one of the most common characters fromFinal Fantasy VIIto be featured infan fictionandfan art.[40]AlthoughRPGamer's Michael "CactuarJoe" Beckett said that Vincent was one of the "less well-developed" characters fromFinal Fantasy VII,he found his development inDirge of Cerberusto be satisfying.[41]According to'GamesRadar+,Dirge of Cerberusfocused on developing Vincent due to his lack of backstory inFinal Fantasy VII,and regarded the mobile phone spin-off as "Vincentfan serviceinstead ofFFVIIcanon".[42]Steve Blum's performance as Vincent achieved a positive response from fans and the media.[43][44]

GamesRadar+claimed that they look forward to the character's debut in the remake installments ofFinal Fantasy VIIas the first volume still did not focus on him.[45]GamesRadarwas disappointed that Vincent's role inRebirthwould not be as active as in the original game, comparing him to the early inclusion of Red XIII as AI controlled rather than playable.[46]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abc"Voices of Vincent Valentine".Behind the Voice Actors.Archivedfrom the original on October 9, 2017.RetrievedJuly 30,2012.
  2. ^"Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: Matt Mercer Is Vincent Valentine".Kotaku.2023-10-14.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-10-14.Retrieved2023-10-14.
  3. ^abFinal Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania(in Japanese) (Revised ed.). Square-Enix. 2009. pp.8–13.ISBN978-4-7575-2560-3.
  4. ^Studio BentStuff, ed. (2005).Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω(in Japanese). Square-Enix. p. 523.ISBN4-7575-1520-0.
  5. ^Studio BentStuff, ed. (2005).Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω(in Japanese). Square-Enix. p. 528.ISBN4-7575-1520-0.
  6. ^abcdSoftBank, ed. (2006).Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reunion Files(in Japanese and English). Square-Enix. p. 48.ISBN4-7973-3498-3.
  7. ^SoftBank, ed. (2006).Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reunion Files(in Japanese and English). Square-Enix. p. 49.ISBN4-7973-3498-3.
  8. ^"Final Fantasy VII Advent Children US premiere".Siliconbera.April 4, 2006.Archivedfrom the original on July 4, 2020.RetrievedMay 15,2020.
  9. ^abcdDirge of Cerberus Official Complete Guide(in Japanese). Square-Enix. 2006.ISBN978-4-7575-1622-9.
  10. ^Knight, Sheila (2003)."Tetsuya Nomura 20s".FLAREgamer.Archivedfrom the original on April 20, 2013.RetrievedApril 13,2006.
  11. ^Cheng, Justin (May 19, 2005)."E3 2005: Yoshinori Kitase Interview".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on March 27, 2023.RetrievedJuly 19,2010.
  12. ^Square(September 7, 1997).Final Fantasy VII(PlayStation). SCE America.Vincent:To wake me from the nightmare... Who is it?!.... Never seen you before. You must leave.
  13. ^Square(1997-09-07).Final Fantasy VII(PlayStation). SCE America.Vincent and Cloud:You know Sephiroth? /Vincent:You Start first.
  14. ^Square(1997-09-07).Final Fantasy VII(PlayStation). SCE America.Vincent:Wait! If I go with you will I meet Hojo? /Cloud:Dunno. But we're after him and Sephiroth. So, I guess sooner or later... /Vincent:Lucrecia... All right. I've decided to go with you.
  15. ^abFinal Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania(in Japanese) (Revised ed.). Square-Enix. 2009. pp.68–71.ISBN978-4-7575-2560-3.
  16. ^Square(September 7, 1997).Final Fantasy VII(PlayStation). SCE America.Vincent:This body is... the punishment that's been given to me... I was unable...... to stop Professor Gast and Hojo... And Lucrecia... I was unable to stop them... All that I was able to do was watch... That is my punishment...
  17. ^Square(September 7, 1997).Final Fantasy VII(PlayStation). SCE America.Lucrecia:I wanted to disappear... I couldn't be with anyone... I wanted to die... But the Jenova inside me wouldn't let me die... Lately, I dream a lot of Sephiroth... My dear, dear child. Ever since he was born I never got to hold him, even once... Not even once. You can't call me his mother... That... is my sin... Back!! Stay back!! Vincent... Won't you please tell me? /Vincent:......What? /Lucrecia:Is Sephiroth still alive? I heard he died five years ago. But I see him in my dreams so often... And, I know that physically, like myself, he can't die so easily. Please, Vincent tell me...... /Vincent:Lucrecia... Sephiroth is dead...
  18. ^Tetsuya Nomura(Director) (September 14, 2005).Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children(DVD).Square Enix.
  19. ^On the Way to a Smile: Final Fantasy VII(in Japanese). Square-Enix. 2009.ISBN978-4-7575-2462-0.
  20. ^Square Enix(August 15, 2006).Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII(PlayStation 2).Vincent:Reeve. Who were those men? /Reeve:Deepground soldiers. /Vincent:Deepground? /Reeve:Yes. The shadow of the Shinra Company, constructed by the former president and completely hidden from the rest of the world. /Vincent:Constructed? /Reeve:His goal was to create an army of superhuman warriors--not once letting morality interfere. The man you met earlier, Azul, is also a member of Deepground. But, he belongs to an elite unit known as the Tsviets.
  21. ^Square Enix(August 15, 2006).Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII(PlayStation 2).Rosso:So you're Vincent Valentine. Keeper of the Protomateria. /Vincent:Protomateria? /Rosso:Yes. The key to controlling Omega. We know you have it.
  22. ^Square Enix(August 15, 2006).Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII(PlayStation 2).Hojo:If the Chaos within you was born of a tainted Lifestream, then the almighty Omega would be born of a pure one. So I had my minions gather up the "uncontaminated" to create a stream of refined mako, thus awakening Omega inside me. /.../Hojo:Only a scientist of my caliber is worthy to become one with Omega and leave this planet for the stars!
  23. ^Square Enix(August 15, 2006).Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII(PlayStation 2).Vincent:Lucrecia. Everything's alright now. Omega and Chaos have returned to the planet. Thank you. It was you. You were the reason I survived.
  24. ^Hirun Cryer (2023-09-14)."Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth finally confirms fan-favorite Vincent is back".gamesradar.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-12-20.Retrieved2023-11-18.
  25. ^"Ehrgeiz Hints & Cheats".GameSpot.CBS Interactive.RetrievedAugust 15,2009.
  26. ^Kingdom Hearts Ultimania: Revised Edition(in Japanese). Japan: Square Enix. 2002.ISBN4-7575-1349-6.
  27. ^"Dirge of Cerberus at SE Store"(in Japanese). Square Enix. Archived fromthe originalon March 20, 2008.RetrievedApril 13,2008.
  28. ^"Action Figure at SE Store"(in Japanese). Square Enix. Archived fromthe originalon January 22, 2008.RetrievedApril 13,2008.
  29. ^"Multiple Final Fantasy VII character Spirits coming to Smash Ultimate alongside Sephiroth".17 December 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 3 June 2023.Retrieved3 June2023.
  30. ^ab"Final Fantasy VII: Top 10 Characters".IGN.2008-03-28.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-03-27.Retrieved2009-03-01.
  31. ^Vas, Gergo (January 28, 2013)."The Most Notable Vampires in Video Games".Kotaku.RetrievedApril 18,2013.
  32. ^"Vincent Valentine – The 20 Greatest Final Fantasy Characters of All Time".Complex. 2013-10-08.Archivedfrom the original on 2013-10-12.Retrieved2013-11-22.
  33. ^"The History of Final Fantasy".GameSpot.CBS Interactive. Archived fromthe originalon June 9, 2009.RetrievedJune 29,2009.
  34. ^Sharkey, Scott."Top 5 Final Fantasy Character Types".1UP.UGO Networks.Archived fromthe originalon October 12, 2012.RetrievedMarch 19,2010.
  35. ^Barrat, Charlie (22 July 2008)."The Top 7... Lazy Character Clichés".GamesRadar.Archivedfrom the original on 25 March 2023.RetrievedAugust 13,2010.
  36. ^"Top Ten Video Game Vampires!".DieHardGameFan.RetrievedNovember 16,2024.
  37. ^Mueller, Greg (2006-08-15)."Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII Review".GameSpot.CBS Interactive. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-11-03.Retrieved2009-08-15.
  38. ^Speer, Justin (May 11, 2006)."GameSpy: Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII Preview".GameSpy.Archivedfrom the original on March 27, 2023.RetrievedAugust 15,2009.
  39. ^Dunham, Jeremy (August 11, 2006)."IGN: Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII Review".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on October 10, 2012.RetrievedAugust 15,2009.
  40. ^Fahey, Rob (November 16, 2006)."Eurogamer: Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII Review".Eurogamer.Gamer Network.Archivedfrom the original on February 21, 2009.RetrievedAugust 15,2009.
  41. ^Beckett, Michael."RPGamer: Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII Review".RPGamer.Archivedfrom the original on October 22, 2017.RetrievedAugust 15,2009.
  42. ^Glasser, AJ (March 5, 2008)."Timeline: Final Fantasy VI".GamesRadar.Archivedfrom the original on March 27, 2023.RetrievedAugust 13,2010.
  43. ^"Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children reports from Hollywood".Engadget.4 April 2006.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-03-27.RetrievedMay 15,2020.
  44. ^"The most inhumanly versatile voice actors in video games".GamesRadar.May 27, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on March 27, 2023.RetrievedMay 15,2020.
  45. ^"Final Fantasy 7 Remake director explains why Yuffie got story DLC over Vincent".GamesRadar.7 July 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 27 March 2023.RetrievedFebruary 26,2022.
  46. ^"Vincent's role in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is exactly what Red XIII's was in Remake".GamesRadar.September 21, 2023.Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2023.RetrievedNovember 8,2023.
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